New Beers Wrap

Gage Roads Brewing Co are celebrating 15 years and the first beer they ever brewed by bringing back their Small Batch Lager.

It is a malt lager with hop aromas, citrus notes and some bitterness, said Gage, and was made using the same handwritten recipe (with a few tweaks) of its very first beer.

Gage Roads Brewing head brewer Ross Brown said that brewing Small Batch was a bit of a challenge.

“It’s a tricky one, especially when it’s the beer that started it all for Gage! There is plenty of nostalgia involved, so we needed to pay tribute to the original while making a few deft tweaks,” he said.

“I think brewing a lager really highlights how skillful a brewer is. There is nothing to hide behind, it relies on great ingredients, tight control over the brewing process, healthy yeast for a good ferment and time in tank.”

The 4.7% abv brew contains Hersbrucker and Mt. Hood hops, and will be available soon at independent bottle shops in 500ml cans.

The Innovator, Bentspoke Brewing Co

BentSpoke Brewing Co has collaborated with entrepreneurs and researchers at the Canberra Innovation Network to brew The Innovator, which it says aims to test the possibilities of brewing using local and environmentally friendly ingredients.

The 5.5% abv beer was made using local captured yeast and pear juice.

In addition, crickets and dried black soldier fly larvae provided the starch and proteins to convert to sugar during the brewing process, reducing the amount of barley malt required.